Detachable top lift



March 1951 I M. P. MCCARRON ET AL 2,546,105

DETACHABLE' TOP LIFT Filed Aug. 20, 1949 L INVENTORS.

MICHAEL R Mme/ea y JAMES .F. MCHRRON 30 ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 20, 1951 2,546,105 DETACHABLE TOP LIFT Michael P. MoCarron and James F. McCarron, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application August 20, 1949, Serial No. 111,398

This invention relates to an improved device for detachably securing a top lift to the high heel of womens shoes.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive and simple anchoring device for top lifts that does not require the use of tools or require the employment of a cobbler.

Another object is to provide a tubular anchor sleeve in the heel as part of the anchoring device that cannot become loose even after several top lifts have been attached thereto, and'detached therefrom.

In our device we avoid the necessity of forming a central cavity entirely through the body of the heel and thus do not weaken the heel at its point of smallest cross section. The recess into which our sleeve is inserted is comparatively short in depth and preferably wholly contained within the base or lower flared portion of the body of the high heel.

Our anchor sleeve is only about one-fourth the height of the heel and is drive fitted into a circular recess of the same depth in the lower flared portion of the heel. The anchor sleeve is kept from turning or falling out of the recess by long narrow prongs on the upper rim of the sleeve, which are forced into the wood heel by the light blows of a hammer.

In the drawings, Fig. l is a side elevation, partly in section, of our anchoring device installed in the high heel of a womans shoe.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the anchor sleeve of our device.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 in section on line 33 of Fig. 2 and Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the anchor screw of our device.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary side eleva tion, in section, of our device.

In Fig. l, S is a typical shoe having a high heel H with a top lift L. Heel H has a wide upper portion. ,at Ii), a narrower central portion in the body of the heel at H and a flared lower portion at l 2 and is usually of wood.

A circular recess 23 is formed in the base M of heel H, preferabl approximately in the centre thereof, and extends upwardly a comparatively short distance, within the flared portion l2, to a closed inner end at l5. The narrower portion 1 l of the heel body is thus not weakened by a central cavity. The wider portion Iii of H is made as usual with no cavities and no complicated mechanism for connection with the top lift L, or its anchoring means.

The anchor sleeve A is a short metal tube l9 3 Claims. (CI. 36-42) and is provided with internal threads It, to engage the external threads H on anchor screw B which is a machine screw of well known type. Sleeve A is provided with one or more prongs it which are formed from the same material as the sleeve. The sleeve is driven or slid into recess 3, to the point I5. The prongs I 8 are then driven into the wood of heel I-l so that they are firmly held therein. Prongs l8 prevent the sleeve from turning in the recess and also prevent the sleeve from becoming loose and falling out of the recess. The prongs are preferably long and narrow, thus being formed like a brad.

Top lift L is provided with a countersunk recess 2| for the head 22 of anchor screw B and with a hole 23 for the threaded portion 24 of the anchor screw. It will be obvious that top lift L may be installed on the heel H by passing anchor screw B therethrough and threadedly engaging the screw B in anchor sleeve A, by inserting a coin or the like in the groove 30. When the top lift becomes worn, it is equally evident that the wearer need only remove screw B, substitute a new top lift and again install screw B into place in sleeve A. The top lift is usually of rubber, but may be of any suitable material.

There is no danger of the body of the heel splitting or breaking while our device is installed nor when a top lift is being replaced. As the top lift wears down, the weight of the wearer transmitted through the screw B to the sleeve A tends to force the prongs l8 more deeply into the wood of the heel thus assuring that it is held tightly in place.

We prefer that our prongs be bendable in order that they may bend outwardly upon insertion and find that three such prongs equally spaced around the rim of the sleeve are a sufilcient number although the device would work with only one prong.

We claim:

1. An anchor sleeve for use in detachably securing the anchor screw of a top lift in a circular screw receiving recess in the lower portion of the high heel of a womans shoe, said anchor sleeve comprising a hollow metal tube of circular cross section and of less height than the heel; internal threads in said tube for engaging the threads of the anchor screw and two or more upstanding, elongated, sharply pointed prongs integral with and in extension of the rim of said tube and spaced therearound, said prongs being adapted to penetrate the material of said heel at the closed end of said recess to maintain the sleeve against withdrawal therefrom or rotation therein.

2. An anchoring device for attaching and detaching a top lift to the base of the high heel of a womans shoe, said heel having a circular sleeve-receiving recess in the lower portion thereof, comprising a tubular internally threaded, anchor sleeve, adapted to slidably fit in said recess, said sleeve being provided with two or more spaced-apart elongated, sharply pointed prongs integral with and in extension of the rim thereof and adapted to penetrate the material of said heel at the closed end of said recess to maintain the sleeve against withdrawal therefrom or rotation therein and a top lift anchor screw having external threads for engaging the internal threads of the sleeve.

3. An anchorin device for attaching and detaching a top lift, having a circular tapered countersunk hole therethrough, to the Wooden base of the high heel of a womans shoe, such base including a cylindrical recess extending into the hole about one-quarter the height of the heel; such anchoring device including a tubular metal anchor body slidable into the cylindrical recess in the heel and provided with internal threads and a plurality of elongated sharp-pointed tapered prongs integral with said sleeve and in extension of the inside rim, said prongs adapted to be forced into the wooden base of the heel at the bottom of the cylindrical recess, and an anchor screw having a shank with external threads for engaging the internal threads of the tubular body and a tapered head for engaging the countersunk portion of the top lift.

MICHAEL P. McCARRON. JAMES F. MCCARRON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS- Number Name Date Re. 18,959 Jorgensen Sept. 26, 1933 131,452 Massey Sept. 17, 1872 1,705,215 Anderson Mar. 12, 1933 2,486,704 Cameron Nov. 1, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 134,420 Great Britain Nov. 6, 1919 243,284 Great Britain Nov. 26, 1925 

